Organization of auditory cortex in the albino rat: sound frequency.

1. Responses of neurons in the auditory cortex of the albino rat were examined using microelectrode mapping techniques. Characteristic frequencies were determined for numerous electrode penetrations across the cortical surface in individual animals. A primary auditory area was identified in the posterolateral neocortex that was characterized by short latency responses to tone bursts and tonotopic organization with high frequencies represented rostrally and low frequencies, caudally. Within this area cells with similar characteristic frequencies were aligned in a dorsoventral orientation to form isofrequency contours. 2. Tuning curves obtained from primary auditory cortex were characteristically "V" shaped with Q10's ranging from 0.97 to 28.4. Maximum Q10 values increased monotonically with characteristic frequency (CF). The lowest thresholds at CF closely approximated the behavioral audiogram for the albino rat. Many neurons, however, had CF thresholds well above the behavioral limit. 3. Areas were found dorsal and ventral to the primary auditory cortex in which CF's were clearly discontinuous with the neighboring isofrequency contours. These data suggest the presence of other auditory fields, the detailed characteristics of which have yet to be examined.